Flat-curl hair curler



Filed Oct. 12, 1953 INVENTORS L LYFKEEN, M

m E G W A 5 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Out invention is an improved hair curler of the type having two opposed curl retaining portions joined by a central portion of reduced width, which central portion forms a hair-winding mandrel. The curler has a fabric or paper sheet fijted at one end to the central portion of the curler, the sheet serving as a wrapper to bunch and retain the ends of the hair grouped together in strand form prior to wrapping the hair around the mandrel portion and thereby assist the user in winding the hair on the curler.

The principal object of our invention is to provide a hair curler which may be quickly and easily applied to strands of hair by a person having only ordinary skill in the.use of such devices. One 'of the principal difficulties experienced by the user of a hair curler when applying the same to her own hair is occasioned by the fact that not all of the individual hairs in a strand which is intended to be curled are the same length. It therefore results that when the user attempts to wrap the strand of hair about the mandrel portion the longer hairs are easily started but the shorter hairs tend to fray out and thereby avoid the users attempt to wrap them on the mandrel. We have therefore provided a sheet of fabric or paper fixed at one end to the central portion of the curler so that the strand of hair may be placed on this sheet of fabric or paper and the latter may be folded over the strand to form it into a unitary bunch. Once the hair is so bunched it is very easy for the user to wind the hair about the mandrel and form it into an orderly curl.

Another very important object of our invention is to provide a hair curler of the type which will produce a substantially flat curl, as distinguished from a tubular or cylindrical form of curl. Hair curlers of the type shown in Patent No. 2,631,594 to Klein show the use of a sheet adapted to retain the ends of the hair but this sheet is atfixed to the body of the curler along the full width of the sheet and the result is therefore that this type of curler winds a tubular or cylindrical curl rather than a flat curl. Our invention is therefore directed principally toward providing a device which will produce a flat curl having a professional appearance.

Another important object of our invention is to provide a hair curler which, when applied to the hair, may be folded over about the reduced or mandrel portion of the curler and retained in such folded position by the application of a bobby pin or other similar device. An important advantage of this type of curler is that the wound strand of hair and the curler form a substantially flat bundle which may be oriented to lie against the users head, and therefore may be comfortably slept upon.

Another important object of our invention is to provide a hair curler of the type specified above wherein the enlarged curl-retaining portions are apertured or perforated and wherein the sheet material hair buncher is made of material permeable to water so as to permit the hair to dry readily in the curled position, such curlers being 2,729,217 Patented Jan. 3, 1956 wetted so as to provide a water curl.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a hair curler which will not damage the hair or which will not snag the hair and thereby render it diflicult to remove from the curler.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a hair curler of neat and decorative appearance which may be made of colored material so that the hair curler may be worn as an ornament, while at the same time performing the function of hair curling for which it is intended.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent during the following discussion of the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of our hair curler, the figure showing the two enlarged hairretaining portions joined by the reduced mandrel portion, and showing the hair-bunching sheet of fabric or paper attached only to the reduced mandrel portion.

Fig. 2 is anelevation view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view corresponding to Fig. l but showing a strand of hair wrapped in the paper or fabric buncher prior to winding the hair around the mandrel.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the device as shown in Fig. 3; p 7

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the strand of hair wound around'the mandrel portion but showing the enlarged curl-retaining portions still in unfolded position.

Fig. 6 is anelevation view showing the enlarged curlretaining portions folded together to hold the wound hair in fiat-curl form and retained in place by a bobby pin.

Fig. 7 is an end view taken normal to the plane of the enlarged curl-retaining portions, and clearly showing the manner in which the curler is used to produce a flat curl as distinguished from a tubular or cylindrical curl.

Referring now to the drawing, the various figures show a curler body having two, opposed enlarged curl-retaining portions 1 and 2 joined together by a central mandrel portion 3 of reduced width, the members 1, 2 and 3 being made of flexible sheet material and being preferably of unitary construction which lends itself to massproduction manufacture. In Figs. 1, 3, 5 and 6 it will be seen that the enlarged curl-retaining portions 1 and 2 are respectively apertured as at 1a and 2a for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The curler also includes a fabric or paper hair buncher 4 which may be of rectangular form and which is secured at one end to the reduced mandrel portion 3 of the curler body by cement or glue 5, Fig. l, or by other securing means, the hair buncher sheet 4 extending transversely outwardly from one side of the hair curler.

The respective figures illustrate in sequence the manner of use of the hair curler, beginning with Figs. 1 and 2 which show the curler as it is manufactured and before it is applied to the hair.

In applying the, curler to the hair, the hair may be first moistened and then combed into a strand S, Fig. 3, which strand is laid on the fabric or paper hair buncher 4 between the dashed lines 4x of Fig. l, and the fabric or paper buncher is then folded over around the hair along the lines 4x to assume the position shown in Fig. 3, so that the ends of the hair are all securely bunched together even though not all of the individual hairs in the strand may be of the same length. The enlarged curl-retaining portions 1 and 2 are then grasped by the user and the curler is rotated so as to roll the hair up around the mandrel portion 3 into the position shown in Fig. 5, the curler being rotated until it is practically adjacent to the scalp and until no further rotation may be had. The two enlarged curl-retaining portions 1 and 2 are then bent together about the mandrel portion 3 so that the ends of the curler are brought substantially together as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, and a bobby pin B or other type of fastener is then affixed across the enlarged curl-retaining portions 1 and 2 in the manner shown in Fig. 7 so as to prevent the curler from springing open and permitting the curl to unwind, and so as to assure that the curl will be maintained fiat while the hair is drying.

Attention is called to the apertures 1a and 2a which permit the hair to dry more rapidly since the hair is exposed to air passing through these apertures, as shown in Fig. 6.

The hair curler, according to our invention, may be very quickly and inexpensively manufactured since the body portion thereof including members 1, 2 and 3 may be made of any desired sheet material, which material should be chosen so that the curler may be bent in the vicinity of the mandrel portion 3 to assume the position shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The material selected, however, should also be sufiiciently stiff so that the mandrel and curl-retaining portions of the body will not be so flexible as to make it difiicult to wind the hair thereon.

We do not limit our invention to the exact form shown in the drawings for obviously changes may be made therein within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hair curler for forming a strand of hair into a flat helical curl, comprising a curl retainer of bendable sheet material, said retainer having opposed enlarged portions joined by a short central portion of reduced width forming a curl winding mandrel, and said enlarged portions being apertured; and a fabric hair buncher fixed at one end to said short mandrel portion, the fabric extending outwardly beyond said mandrel portion toward said enlarged portions whereby the fabric may be folded over the end of a strand of hair prior to winding the latter about said mandrel portion.

2. A hair curler for forming a strand of hair into a flat helical curl, comprising a sheet material body portion including two opposed enlarged curl retaining portions joined together by a short central mandrel portion of reduced width, and a fabric hair buncher comprising a sheet of flexible material disposed transversely of said body, said buncher being of width greater than the length of said mandrel portion and being fixed at one end to said body at said mandrel portion whereby a strand of hair may be wrapped in said buncher and subsequently wound around said mandrel portion, said body being made of bendable material whereby the curl retaining portions may be bent about said central portion to lie substantially in the plane of the curl and retain the latter substantially flat.

3. In a curler as set forth in claim 2, said enlarged curl-retaining portions being perforated to facilitate drying of the hair.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

